Down With the Fallen
by Mila Reeves
Summary: The job should've been open and close. But nothing is ever that easy for her. Now, Moira is halfway across the galaxy with a Spectre and some vigilante trying to take down a drug ring. But Hey that's life. I will be updating on Tuesdays.
1. Manifest

"Check that last crate over there so we can go home," the dockworker motioned with his free hand before hefting the final container to that was to be loaded onto the cargo ship tonight.

"On it." As the man walked to the shipping crate he continued to talk to his coworker. "Got any plans for tonight?"

"Nah, nothing worth noting. What about you, Darrin?"

"I don't know. Maybe I might go see that asari again." A smile pulled on his lips as he reached the container and began to disengage the locks on it.

"Seems like things are getting serious between you two. Plan on introducing her to the family anytime soon?"

Darrin shrugged his shoulders as the red lock hologram beeped and flashed green finally. "I don't know about that. I don't think they will approve of her. I mean, she's an alien and all." he stopped talking as the hinges hissed and the doors swung open. Inside he caught sight of several smaller containers it contained. "This should be pretty-". Just behind a panel of glass, he caught sight of it. Glinting crimson.

"Fuck, call C-Sec, Wilhelm." Darrin backed away from the crate and found the lock panel once more.

"What? Why?" Wilhelm wiped his brow off and moved towards Darrin. "What's in there?"

"Just do it, man!" The lock re-engaged on the container. "It's fucking Red Sand."

~oOo~

The day had started out much like any other when she arrived at work. A few hellos, then straight to her office so she could check her emails over the extranet. Mostly spam from people looking to steal credits, one she made a note to check when she was off work, and one from Chellick. That one caught her attention.

"Now what could he want?" she said to herself. Only one way to find out.

_Shepard,_

_Zakara Wards Shipping Docks. Red Sand. Suit up and talk to witnesses._

_Chellick_

That was not something she'd been expecting. Stuck behind a desk doing paperwork, yes, not suiting up to head out and talk to witnesses on the Zakara Ward Docks. Especially as her mandated shore leave was coming to an end and she was getting ready to ship back out with the Alliance.

Though, she had a sneaking suspicion that if it hadn't been dealing with Red Sand that her day would've gone exactly as she thought it would.

Not that she could complain about it. She hadn't seen action since her work partner split from C-Sec and dropped off the grid. A fact that was compounded by the fact that she had not heard from him in several weeks since he had. Knowing him, he wouldn't surface again until he was ready to be found or until he soothed whatever demons currently haunted him.

Despite that little fact, she could practically hear the smugness in his voice telling her he'd been right all along on how unsecure the shipping docks where. In fact, he probably wouldn't let any of them live it down since the brass all agreed that the citadel was the safest place to be and that no one would try to smuggle such high-profile goods in.

Oh, how wrong they had been.

Moira rolled her eyes. Now that she thought about it, it was probably a good thing that he wasn't here. He would be driving them all crazy with his cocky attitude.

Shaking her head, Moira logged off the computer, left her office, and went to suit up so she could depart from C-Sec. The sooner she arrived on the scene, the sooner she could learn what the dockworkers knew about the shipment.

Hopefully, it would be a textbook case. Open and shut in the same day.

Though, if experience taught her anything, it was that things never went according to plan.

By the time Moira had arrived in her personal C-Sec Shuttle to the scene, other officers had already begun securing the perimeter with yellow holotape.

_Good_, she thought, the sooner they got this vile stuff contained and disposed, of the better. Already, she was picturing the headlines. _Red Sand Smuggled into the Citadel: Where was C-Sec? _Or worse, something like _Delirious Biotics: How C-Sec Failed to Protect Us. _

Neither of those were good options and would only continue to drive a wedge between law enforcement and the public.

Powering down the shuttle Moira climbed out of the cab. No, she was going to make sure those headlines wouldn't become a reality. She didn't know how, but somehow, she would make sure that this ended here.

"Shepard," an officer said as she crossed the yellow holotape that had been set up. "Interesting day, huh?" he asked with an easy smile. Moira looked over to him. He was another Alliance personnel on his mandatory shore leave. But unlike her, his was just beginning.

"Yeah. What's the status of the scene?" she asked. It was better to have some sort of bearing of what she was walking into.

"Secured. We are waiting for transport shuttles to take the Red Sand back to C-Sec."

"Good." That should've been the end of the conversation, but clearly the officer didn't realise that or didn't want it to be yet as he continued.

"Hey, I'm going to Flux Later," he began hopefully.

"Sorry. Not interested." The officer's eyebrows snapped together in annoyance as she had so quickly rebuked his advance. "I don't make a habit of dating co-workers," she elaborated hoping to sooth his stinging pride.

"Yeah, whatever," Moira thought he muttered something more under his breath, but she didn't catch what that was as he walked away from her. Shrugging her shoulders, she turned her attention to the docks and began to search for the workers she was supposed to question.

They weren't hard to pick out since they were the only ones not wearing blue power armour. It made them stick out like sore thumbs as they slouched against nearby police shuttles blocking the other side of the docks off. She crossed the distance between them, nodding at a few officers as she moved. When the two finally caught sight of her approach their spines stiffened, and they gave each other what she perceived to be an anxious look.

"Good evening," Moira offered them a tight-lipped smile that did nothing to put them at ease. "I am Detective Moira Shepard with the Alliance and Citadel Security. I understand that you two stumbled upon the shipment of Red Sand." Her eyes darted between the two of them as she went on, "And that one of you placed the call."

"That is, yes that is correct, ma'am," the smaller of the two men took a small step forward. "I placed the call." Her eyes were drawn to him and whatever courage he had mustered to come forward seemed to shrink away now that he was under her gaze.

"And what is your name?" Moira wasn't sure how she could put the two men at ease, she wasn't much of a people person. Top that on with a general distrust of the multi-specied group due to poor relations with turians and you had a recipe for unease.

"Wilhelm, Virgil Wilhelm. It was Darrin who found it though." As the man spoke his hands waved to his silent co-worker. "It's lucky we checked, someone else might've-" he inhaled sharply as Darrin elbowed him.

"You did the right thing by calling," Moira decided to let whatever he was going to say slide. After all, the Red Sand hadn't left the docks and hopefully, after this they would be able to tighten security up so that it wouldn't happen again. "Now, what can you tell me about the cargo shipment? When did it arrive? Who shipped it? Who was supposed to receive it?"

"Not much, ma'am," Darrin scratched the back of his neck as he finally spoke. "It wasn't on the receiving manifest."

Moira frowned. "You don't remember who brought cargo in?" Both men nervously shifted under her stare. She closed her eyes briefly and tried to relax her stance to put them at ease. When she opened her eyes she said, "You're not under arrest. I just need to know so I can find the man responsible."

"Well, ma'am, work is pretty tight on the docks. Not enough people to properly check-in cargo or unload it off the ships. Most of the time the ship crew unloads it and leaves so the next cargo ship can dock. We just unpack it, deliver it, and load up the outgoing cargo."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Moira closed her eyes again and realised that this case wasn't going to be nearly as neat as she wanted it to be. This situation was much worse than she originally thought and would have to be remedied somehow.

Once he was done here, she'd have to file a report with her superiors, both C-Sec and Alliance. They would want to know that the docks are not up to snuff with security protocols. It would cause a full-blown investigation to take place later, but would yield the results she was hoping for.

Opening her eyes, she said, "Okay," and watched as the two men flinched from her tone. It came out more forceful than she intended, and she had to remind herself that they were not at fault for the docks security issue. "Then, can you at least tell me who it was supposed to be delivered to?"

"Sure, it's all on a datapad right over there," Darrin pointed to a nearby crate where Moira could just make out the reflective glass.

When Darrin didn't initially move, Moira said, "Go."

It was all the encouragement Darrin needed to scamper off. Once he had the datapad Darrin used it to scan the shipping label on the crate that contained the Red Sand. Then, he was right back where he'd been moments prior. "Let's see," he tapped on the screen. "No information on who sent it, but it looks like it was supposed to be delivered to Gorag Parnechar at Antiqua Bona."

"Looks like I know who to visit next." The two seemed to relax now that Moira had the information she had come for and would be moving on shortly. "Thank you for your time, we at C-Sec appreciate it. If we have any further questions, we will contact you or bring you down to C-Sec Headquarters." She gave a brief nod of her head, "You are free to go," then she turned on her heel to head back to her police shuttle.

As she walked, she pressed the button on the neck of her uniform. "Chellick, do you read me?"

_"Loud and clear, Shepard. What do you have for me?"_

"I found out where the Red Sand was supposed to go. I am heading there now."

_"Where?"_

"Antiqua Bona," Moira reached her shuttle and added, "suspect is Gorag Parnechar."

_"Looking him up. One moment."_

Silence spanned the next few seconds as Chellick did his job. She crawled back into the cab of her shuttle as she waited for more information from him. The shuttle flared to life as she hit the ignition button and strapped into the vehicle

_"Looks like Gorag has a history. He's been arrested several times for petty possession and aggravated assault against humans. His store is located just a few levels up on the Zakara Wards Level 30. Sending backup."_

"Let's get this bastard."

**Author's Note:** Hey all! Thank you if you've stuck around to read this much! It means a lot to me. It's been a while since I've attempted a multi-chaptered fic! I have done the best I can catching spelling and grammar mistakes, but if you see something I might've missed please feel free to drop me a message to let me know! I also appreciate any Con-Crit you have, just be respectful about it! :D


	2. It Has Begun

_"Shepard, take the rear entrance through the staff entrance. I will approach from the front and try to peacefully apprehend Gorag. With any luck he will comply and if he doesn't be ready." _

"He's a batarian, Sir, when have they ever peacefully complied with anything?" she had to wonder if Chellick had thought that sentence through. They tended to be the trouble.

_"They say the same about humans, Shepard."_

_Moira huffed. Chellick wasn't wrong. Many aliens thought humans were growing too quickly._

_"Besides, sometimes people can surprise you." _

_And sometimes they don't._ Opting not to voice her opinion she decided to focus on her current task: bringing in Gorag.

Locating the door Chellick mentioned wasn't a difficult task thanks to the giant 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' letters painted in bright red against a flat grey background. Moving in front of the door she activated her Omni-Tool and tapped a few buttons to begin her security override of the door.

It hummed as it ran through the codes that would unlock the door. It took a minute to process before her tool beeped and the locks opened. "Yes," she breathed out. The door opened with a gentle whoosh and she slipped inside

As the door clicked shut behind her, she found herself in a barren hallway that split off in two directions. On the wall in front of her, a single hologram sign hung with the names of the stores located here and the direction they would be in. Looking it over she found the name she was looking for and turned her head to the left.

Down that way would be the door she had been searching for.

_"Gorag Parnechar?"_

She picked up the pace covering the distance in a brusque pace. Since Chellick didn't seem interested in waiting for her to get into position. _Onina Arms. Telum Copiam. Each door Moira passed she read the lettering in hopes that it would be the one. Though, she was beginning to run out of doors as she passed another three that weren't it._

_"Who's asking?"_ The second voice was distant and barely picked up on the commlink. He must've been several feet away from the counter or not facing Chellick. Moira wished she had a visual on Gorag to know what he was doing. It was hard to prepare for something you couldn't observe.

At the thought of being in the dark her pulse quickened, and her stomach churned with anxiety.

_"Chellick Agarian, C-Sec Detective. We need you to come down to the station with us." _

Jogging, she made her way to the end of the hall to the last door. Antiqua Bona. "I'm in position." It figured it would be the very last door.

Under normal circumstances Moira wouldn't want to be backed into a corner, but in this case, she'd take the chance. If Gorag came running out the back door she wanted to make sure he didn't notice her right away.

_"Under what charges?" _

Tension continued to coil inside her making her feel antsy and restless. That was good, it would make her react faster if things went south here. _Easy_, she told herself as she unholstered her pistol as reassurance.

_"Drug trafficking." _

_"What? Because I am a BATARIAN?"_ the offender's voice grew louder. Typical Batarian response.

_"No, there was a shipment of Red Sand that was supposed to be delivered here to you." _

There was a brief pause of silence. It seemed to stretch on forever before Chellick finally spoke again.

_"Don't make this harder than it's going to be, Gorag. Just come peacefully and we can work this out at-"_

Someone screamed and a high-pitched electronic shriek deafened her ear. Without thinking she ripped the comm out of her ear cutting off whatever was being shouted. "Fuck!" Swearing, Moira aimed her pistol for the Antiqua Bona's back door.

She was acutely aware of the sound of her breath and the bead of sweat that trailed down her cheek as she waited. The next few seconds ticked by at a snail's pace, then the back door slammed open as Gorag tore out of his store. Just like she hoped, Gorag paid no attention to her as he bolted down the hallway towards the exit.

Inhaling time seemed to slow as she lined him up in her pistols iron sights. A second bead of sweat crawled down the back of her neck. As she exhaled her finger hugged the trigger until the sound of the gun blast ricocheted off the walls.

It was almost loud enough to drown out the agonized scream that came from Gorag. He dropped to the ground writhing in pain as she holstered her pistol. It became apparent as the ringing in her ears quieted down that Gorag was shouting obscenities and cursing C-Sec.

A smile pulled on her lips. Concussive ammunition. She gave a quick prayer of thanks to whoever came up with it as she jogged over to Gorag's prone form. It certainly gave them an edge to take down suspects without killing them. Although, Gorag would no doubt be feeling the pain of it for several days. Hurting was better than dead at least.

Climbing on top of his back, Moira pulled out a set of handcuffs from the utility pocket of her belt. "Gorag, you are under arrest," she jerked one of the batarian's arms behind his back and clasped the metal around his wrist. It clicked several times before it was snug on him.

Twisting his head around he looked at her with two narrowed black eyes. "Human scum," Gorag spat as she jerked his other arm behind his back. "This is police brutality!"

Spoken like someone who had no idea what real police brutality looked like. She didn't even give him the satisfaction of a response to his claim.

"You have the right to remain silent," Moira continued, "anything you say can and will be used against you." Now that both of his wrists were secured, she stood up with her legs on either side of his legs. Then, she grabbed him by an arm and hoisted him to his feet with a small grunt of effort.

"For your sake, you better hope that Detective Chellick is alright." Speaking of Chellick, Moira needed to check and make sure that he wasn't seriously harmed. Pushing the piece back into her ear she was greeted by Chellick calling her name.

_"Shepard? Shepard!? Moira? Do you copy?"_

"I'm here, Chellick." She broke protocol by removing the earpiece and she would no doubt be hearing about that at a later point in time.

_"Did you get him?"_

"I got him. We're coming out now. Are you hurt? Do I need to call a medic?" With a firm jerk on his arm, she led Gorag towards the exit.

_"I am alright, nothing some medigel couldn't fix." _

Relieved, Moira opened the door she'd entered and left that barren hallway behind. Fingers tightened on Gorag's arm as she searched the crowd for Chellick. He stood nearby and approached her when their eyes finally met.

"Good job, Shepard," Chellick's voice fluctuated with his approval and his mandibles twitched in what Moira assumed was a smile.

"Thanks," she looked him over for any visible signs of injury which she thankfully didn't see. "Let's get Gorag back to C-Sec so we can find out what this guy," she jerked him forward a bit, "knows about the Red Sand."

"Agreed, I'll ride back with you."

The ride back to C-Sec had been less eventful than the arrest had been, thankfully. Gorag had even managed to keep his mouth shut the whole way there much to Moira's relief. Even his transport inside the building to the interrogation room went smoothly. Perhaps Gorag finally realized that it was over and there was nothing he could do to save himself.

Of course, he could also be looking for a way out of his predicament.

And the longer she watched Gorag sitting in the room through the two-way window, the more she thought that was exactly what he was trying to do. She needed to get in there before he was able to do just that.

Pushing away from the glass she pressed the button for her commlink, "I'm going in," and went for the door.

_"Shepard. We need to know who supplied the Red Sand to him. If he asks for a deal, offer him one. Just make sure to get a name."_

"Understood." The door swung open and she stood face to face with Gorag himself. He snarled at her as he caught sight of her.

"Human," all four of his inky eyes narrowed into a glare.

"Gorag." Her lips curled into a smile that didn't fit with her eyes. "You are in a world of trouble." Stalking towards the table where he sat currently, she continued, "Assaulting an officer, smuggling illicit drugs, and intent to sell." The her grabbed the chair in front of him and with a metallic scrape she pulled it out from the table and sat down.

Silence met her statement. "We've got enough to get you put away for at least fifteen years."

"Bullshit, there is no proof that the Red Sand was truly intended for me, or if someone is using me as a decoy."

"Even if that were true, we have you on assault with a deadly weapon. That's at least five to seven years." Nothing. "And, any jury is going to think you are guilty when we remind them that you fled the scene after being confronted with the charges."

Gorag grunted. "Then lock me up." Arching a brow, she studied him for a few moments until he looked away from her.

"Come on, Gorag. Make it easy on yourself and talk."

"Go to hell, Human."

Her hands smacked against table making him startle in surprise. "Who is your supplier, Gorag?"

Slowly, Gorag's head turned to look at her again. Each of his inky black eyes narrowed into a glare as he focused on her once more. "Look, Gorag, you're going to go down one way or another. I guess the real question is are you going down alone?"

"You understand nothing."

"Then make me understand, Gorag." He fell silent once more and let it stretch between them for several minutes. Just when Moira thought about leaving and letting him stew on it for a bit, he spoke again. "People who cross her go missing."

"Her?" She pressed a little more now that he had given her something.

"Yeah, the asari bitch is crazy." He leaned back in his chair and observed her now in thought. When he finally came to whatever conclusion he needed to, he said, "I want a deal."

"If your intel is good, Gorag, we can see about a lesser charge. You will still serve time," she folded her hands on the table. "And possibly be eligible for parole." He hesitated. "Take it or leave it because you won't get a better offer from anyone else here."

Bowing his head, he exhaled heavily. "If that's the best you can do, I will take it. Her name is Enyala Calesi."

Moira's frown deepened. It wasn't a name she recognized so it couldn't be someone operating on the Citadel itself. "Who?"

"A deranged Eclipse Mercenary," he added as if that would spark some sort of recognition for her. It didn't help her put a face to the name, but it did at least give her an idea of who they were dealing with.

"She operates mainly within the Terminus Systems."

She had to stifle a curse. C-Sec had no jurisdiction in the Terminus Systems, nor did the Alliance really. The only people who could pursue someone there were Spectres.

The sound of her chair scraping against the floor was the only indication that she had gotten up and made her way to the door. "Someone will take you to your cell shortly," she mumbled as she exited the room.

Her feet carried her from the interrogation room straight up to Chellick's office. She didn't even bother to knock on the door as she barged inside. "We have a problem."

Chellick looked up from his desk and let out a heavy sigh. "When don't we?"

"It's about our Red Sand dealer."

"What about him?" Chellick folded his hands on the top of his desk and waved her further inside the room.

"Her," Moira corrected. She shook her head and waved her hands to clear her thoughts. "She's not in council space." Her eyes never left his face as she approached the desk. "We can't touch her."

"That is… unfortunate…" Chellick's subvocals rumbled as he trailed off. "The only people with the authority to go after her now are Spectres. We can appeal to have them take the case, but other than that it's out of our hands."

"But!"

"Dismissed, Shepard, I have work to do, calls to make."

Moira clamped her lips shut in irritation as he shut her down. "Yes, Sir," she replied before turning on her heel to stomp out of the room.


	3. The Future is Now

Somewhere deep in the Terminus Systems, the call from a secured channel came.

"Are you certain?"

_"Did you read the dossier I sent you?"_ the voice interjected.

"I did, but I want _your_ honest opinion. Why would you recommend someone else when you could have the job?"

There was a pause as the person on the other end considered their words carefully. _"She's good, one of the best I've had the pleasure to work with. She would only make you stronger in the end."_

"You would too."

_Another moment of silence. "I know."_

Nihlus exhaled and closed his eyes before speaking again, "I will put the request in."

_"You'll thank me later. She's worth it." _

The line went dead with no words of farewell. But what did Nihlus expect? Pacing the length of the room he carefully considered his options. First, he would get her like he said he would.

_"Nihlus, we've tracked his coordinates to the Omega Nebula." _

"Keep tracking him. For now, take us to the Citadel. I have something I need to retrieve."

_"Right away." _

First Shepard, then Archangel.

~oOo~

Sweat dripped off her body as she doubled over and planted her hands on her knees for support. Blood pounded through her ears. Between it and the sound of her heavy breathing, the rest of the world ceased to exist. If it wasn't for the way her muscles ached from the absolute brutal pace she'd been sprinting at, she might've thought she was dreaming. Though, what sort of person dreamed of pushing themselves to their limits like this?

Some would probably call it excessive if they had witnessed her. She called it blowing off steam though, and it was a welcome distraction from the seething frustration that had built up inside her over the abrupt ending of her investigation.

Gasping for breath she straightened up and put her hands on her back to work out her muscles. Then she walked over to where she'd left her belongings. Each step she took towards them told her that she would regret the hard work out in the morning, even if she took a hot shower to soothe her body.

Coming to a standstill next to them, she turned and slid ungracefully off the wall to the floor. Her arms rested against the top of her knees as she closed her eyes and simply let herself be. For just a few moments, she was able to forget everything but the pounding of her heart and the pulsing of her blood.

She was at peace with herself.

Her peace would be shattered by the sound of her Omni-Tool. A frustrated groan left her lips, and her eyebrows drew together. Who would be paging her now while she was off duty? Blindly, Moira reached for her towel and wiped the sweat from her face. "I heard you," she grumbled as the Omni-Tool persisted to beep.

"Shepard here." She reached for the water bottle near her feet and took slow gulps from it.

_"Shepard, it's Commander Bailey." _

Her eyes snapped open. She had expected it to be Chellick, or anyone else. But not Bailey. "What can I do for you?"

_"You are needed at C-Sec. Twenty minutes, communication room. Bailey out." He didn't wait for her answer before hanging up on her. _

Great. Moira's head hit the wall behind her. Twenty minutes wasn't enough time to get a shower or change out of her sweaty clothes for that matter. She wasn't even sure if she was going to make it there without being late, even if she hurried. Just her luck it seemed.

Hopefully, this wasn't an important meeting. The more she thought about it, the more she began to think that this was simply her returning to active duty with the Alliance. That didn't explain why Bailey would've paged her, but that thought had already passed from her mind.

Walking as fast as she could, she made her way across the gym floor to the exit. Screw regretting the workout tomorrow, she was regretting it now as she hastened through the locker rooms to the shuttle port computer. The shuttle trip would be a welcomed change from the hasty walking. Inputting her destination in the terminal, she climbed inside the shuttle cab and leaned back in the seat. The driver would do the rest, all she had to do was catch her breath and try to fix her appearance.

When she arrived at C-Sec she was greeted by hushed whispers. A few people even pointed at her as she passed them. Her brows furrowed with confusion as she hurried up to the stairs. Being late didn't warrant the reaction she was currently getting from her fellow officers.

Their responses made her stomach churn and had her taking the stairs two at a time to the third floor. Quickly, she strode towards the communications room. Without wasting another second, she opened the door and stepped through the threshold.

The first person she saw was Chellick sitting at the table with his hands crossed. In the corner, someone stood with his back to her, and a few feet from him was Captain Anderson, but no Bailey. She had expected Bailey to at least be in the room since he had called her, but he was not.

Then, she caught sight of someone else that had every muscle in her body coming to a screeching halt. He didn't seem overly threatening at first glance, but something about his unassuming appearance didn't sit right with her. Moira wasn't even sure what drew her to that conclusion as he stood there with his hands clasped behind his back. It was just a feeling she had as they locked eyes for the first time.

What was worse was that he seemed to be evaluating her. She would not be intimidated by him, nor would she look weak if that was the case. Squaring her shoulders, she stood up straighter and continued to hold his intense stare when it met her eyes again. "What is going on here?"

"Commander, it's good to see you. You look well." Anderson greeted jovially. He joined Chellick at the table and waved his hand to the empty seat in front of him. She caught the movement out of the corner of her eyes, but it was his request that finally had her tearing her gaze away from the turian.

"Have a seat." By his tone, she knew it wasn't a request even if it sounded like one. It wasn't overly noticeable, but it had lost some of its amicability. If she had to guess, it was because whatever they had gathered here for was a very serious thing and not her release back to the Alliance.

"Of course," stiffly, she sat down at the table in front of Anderson. "But what's going on here?" she asked again. Not sure who would answer she looked between Chellick and Anderson and waited.

"You wanted something to be done about Calesi," she focused on Chellick as he spoke. "Well, this is the answer," he waved a hand towards the unknown turian who stepped forward. "This is Nihlus Kryik, Shepard. A Council Spectre."

A Spectre. That was why she felt uneasy around him. Her eyebrows lifted with her surprise. It did seem that Chellick's appeal to the Council worked if Nihlus was standing here now.

"So, he's going to go after Calesi?"

"No," Nihlus corrected her, "_we_ are. I've heard a great many things about you and have read many more."

"Why?" Straightening in the chair she mirrored Chellick's earlier posture. "What aren't you telling me?"

"As you know, Shepard, humanity wants a bigger role in the galaxy. _This_ is our chance." Anderson gave her an affectionate smile. He looked every bit what Moira imagined a proud father would look like. "We've been pushing for this for a while, and you were always our first choice, Shepard. _You_ have a chance to make history."

"You mean…" she left her question open-ended and held her breath.

"You've been scouted to join the Spectres, Shepard. The Alliance finally got the council to agree to this. Nihlus has agreed to evaluate your skills personally," she recognized the irritated voice of Udina as soon as he spoke. It was a hard voice to forget. How humanity decided he was best fit to be their ambassador was beyond her. In her opinion, anyone else would've been a better choice. "If you do well, Shepard, you will be the first human to ever be given the title of Spectre."

"Spectre?" she took a moment to process that information and returned her gaze to Nihlus, "Why would you want a human as a Spectre? I thought most turians hated us."

"Most, but not every turian, as you may have noticed," he waved his hand towards Chellick to include him in the mix, "and where others see a hunger for power, I see potential, growth, and perseverance. Humanity has not only faced the unknown, but you strive to keep doing better."

Nihlus paced the length of the room as he spoke. "After assessing your service record, I am positive you are exactly what the Spectres represent, Shepard, and what we need in our ranks."

"This is a great honour for humanity." Udina again. Much like before, he didn't _sound_ like it was an honour. He sounded as if he was inconvenienced just being here.

"It is, and a great responsibility," Anderson stood up. "You are representing humanity now. The Council's eyes will be looking to you, watching how you respond, and how you carry yourself during this time. That means we need you at your best, Shepard, nothing less than that."

"Understood, Captain."

"I have arranged to have your things brought onto my ship from the Normandy. I suggest that anything you have here on the Citadel that you wish to bring, you retrieve and bring tomorrow when we depart. If you have any business to attend to, I suggest you do it. We won't be back for some time."

Moira let out a soft breath and leaned back in her chair in disbelief.

"I've sent you the details of our first mission and a dossier. Read over them and if you have any questions, we can address them tomorrow. For now, I must go make accommodations and finish up a few things before we leave." Nihlus pushed something on his Omni-Tool. "I suggest stocking up," he lowered his arm, "I have just sent confirmation to the Spectre Requisitions Officer that you have clearance to purchase from him under my name. Udina, Anderson, I will need your help to finalize a few things."

Satisfied, Nihlus exited the room with Udina closely on his heels. The ambassador paused briefly to look at Shepard and say in an oily voice, "Don't screw this up, Commander. Humanity may not get a second chance if you do." Her eyes narrowed into a glare and she had to bite her tongue to stop herself from saying something snarky right back at him.

"Ignore him, Shepard," Anderson said as he made his way towards her. "Udina's just an ass who hates when he doesn't get the recognition, he thinks he deserves."

"Already done."

He put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, "When you are done, meet me at Flux later." Anderson smiled one last time then added, "You're going to make us proud, Moira."

As quickly as it had come, her anger faded away leaving behind a tightness in her chest as she put her hand over Anderson's. "I will," she whispered to him before he left her alone in the room with Chellick.

"You will do well," Chellick still hadn't stood up yet, nor did he seem inclined too.

"Thank you," she said getting to her feet finally.

"I didn't do anything but answer Nihlus's questions when he came asking about you." Chellick shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly and leaned back in the chair he sat in. "But, enough about that. You should be getting your supplies and reading your mission details."

"Of course," she turned on her heel and headed for the door. Right before she passed through, she looked back at Chellick. "Thank you." 


	4. Where the Sky Ends

_Somewhere on Omega..._

Debris showered against his helmet and dust obscured his visor as he narrowly escaped the shotgun blast meant for his head. Dammit, that was a close one! A shot like that would have surely knocked out the rest of his shields, or worse, killed him. His shoulder dug against the wall as he firmly pressed himself against it. This was _not_ how this scenario was supposed to play out.

"Come out, spikey bastard," Garm bellowed, "and die!" The wall he hid behind shuddered as it was assaulted with another two bursts from the gun. If he didn't move, Garm would be right on top of him in no time.

"Sorry, Ugly," he reached down to check the spare ammunition he kept on his belt. Just one thermal clip left. "Dying is _not_ on my list of things to do today." Inhaling, he quickly assessed the area around him looking for his next move.

His chances for escape certainly weren't very high. He'd have to run down an exposed alley and try to make it into the city. With any luck, he'd be able to lose Garm in the crowd and slip away to fight another day.

It was fucking suicide on his part, but what choice did he have? He was a dead turian either way. At least running offered some chance of survival. "Though, if you would just go ahead and croak, that'd be great."

The air was filled with a bloodthirsty laugh that had a shiver running down his back. "You talk a big game, but you are just a coward who has to rely on stealth and sneak attacks to take your prey down." A spot on the wall crumbled under the continued fusillade from the krogan's shotgun.

Hastily, he looked to the upper right corner of his visor and watched as the blue shield icon flashed its warning and displayed that his shields were just under sixty per cent. It was the price of his arrogance.

Garm's observation wasn't incorrect, but he didn't see it as cowardice. "It's called using your brain, you should try it sometime." He waited for there to be a pause in the shots fired. When it came, he burst out of his cover without warning and aimed his assault rifle at Garm. "Hello, Ugly. Looking for me?"

"There you are," the krogan grinned, if it could be called that.

"And here I go." Squeezing the trigger on his rifle he rained thermalbullets on Garm. Using the attack to keep him at bay, he began running backwards to put distance between them. The further he could get the less accurate and painful that the shotgun blast would be.

"ARCHANGEL!" Garm let out a battle roar and began to charge at him undeterred by Archangel's assault.

"What sort of freak of nature is he?" Archangel questioned. Abandoning his current idea, he turned on his heel and sprinted down the alley hoping that he was at least able to outrun Garm.

The sound of heavy footfalls told him that the krogan was close behind. He skittered and slammed into a building as he turned down an alley. "Fuck!" The blue shield icon flashed and turned yellow in warning as a grazing shot spackled the side of his armour. Reaching down, he palmed the grenade on his belt and had a hairbrained idea.

"This should work," he said as he activated it. The little ring of lights flickered on and off and the small device began to beep. Looking over his shoulder he located Garm. "I've got a present for you, Ugly!"

The last thing he saw was Garm jumping behind cover.

Not slowing, Archangel continued to make twists and turns down the streets, ducking under low hanging walls and jumping over obstacles. He couldn't hear Garm, but he wasn't going to take his chances and slow down until he was certain he was safe.

~oOo~

The tour of the ship had been brief. She'd been assigned a room of her own with a large window that looked out into the deep void of space. It was roomier than she'd imagined getting, but she wouldn't complain.

After she'd settled her things in, someone fetched her, a human surprisingly. It seemed Nihlus didn't discriminate with his crew. "My name is Yeoman Kelly Chambers," she smiled brightly.

"I didn't know that Council Spectre's were in the habit of employing humans."

"I can't speak for all Spectres, but Nihlus employs those he thinks will be best for the job. There is a refreshing mix of human, asari, and quarian." She held up a finger and nodded her head as she added, "I have been personally assigned to make sure you settle into the ship and to show you around until you get familiar."

"I don't think that will be necessary. I am sure this ship is like any other," Moira said, though she wished she hadn't as Kelly's face seemed to dim. "But, since you are here, why not show me to the Communications Room? I know Nihlus wanted to see me after I unpacked my things."

Her face brightened again. "Absolutely, Commander!" Kelly exited the room and walked in step with Moira as she led her down the hall. She was chattering away, pointing out places in the ship as they passed them.

All Moira had to do was nod her head occasionally since Kelly did enough talking for them both. It didn't seem to bother her as she didn't try to coax Moira into the conversation. When she finally came to a stop, she held up a hand. "Here we are, Commander. I will wait for you here in case you would like additional help."

"Thank you, Chambers." Moira smiled. Though Kelly was a bit chatty, she was vibrant with life.

"Don't mention it, that's what I am here for."

No sooner had Moira stepped inside of the room did the door shut. "Do you have any concerns or questions?" he asked abruptly.

"About our mission?"

He gave a nod of his head. "Yes, I value your input."

"We are going to Omega," she crossed her arms in thought. Omega was a good place to start their search for Calesi, but she felt like they would only waste precious time and resources tracking down this unknown factor. "I think we should focus on finding Calesi," she finally voiced. "Leave this Archangel out of the equation and work on building our case and finding the information we need to locate our target."

Nihlus mirrored her stance as he leaned against a wall. "I disagree," he held Moira's gaze. If this was going to work, he had to treat her as an equal and let her voice her opinions on the missions. That didn't mean that he wouldn't disagree or tell her she was right if he thought otherwise. "Archangel will be a valuable asset to our mission."

"_If_ we can get him to cooperate_._"

"He will join us."

Moira's eyebrows furrowed. There was no way he knew some stranger would join them on a whim. "How can you be certain?"

Nihlus's shoulders lifted but he remained silent. The seconds ticked by before he finally answered her, "I'm going to be honest with you, Shepard. Keeping you in the dark isn't going to make you trust me any faster."

True, it wouldn't help either of them if they couldn't be trusted to watch each other's six.

"Our mission _is_ to stop Calesi," Nihlus began. His mandibles twitched as he composed his thoughts. "But there is more to it than that. Recently, reports of colonies going dark have started to spring up."

"You think it's them? It's more likely that Batarian's are behind this and not Calesi."

"We're not so sure about that. The Eclipse are known to kidnap and sell people to the batarians. It is our job to uncover who is behind these attacks and where they are taking these people. Calesi being a high-ranking officer would have access to this information. What's that human expression? Two birds one stone?"

"Okay, but how does Archangel fit into this?"

"Based on our reports, Archangel is taking out high ranking mercenary officials in the Blue Suns, Bloodpack, and the Eclipse. It is uncertain if he is just a do-gooder, or if he is an escaped slave taking his revenge on any unlucky mercenary that he catches in his scope."

Moira let out a small hum and pondered this. "Why not just get the information from him and then be on our way?" That made the most sense to her. No need to add an unknown variable that could hinder them more than help them.

"Because I wish to see him in battle."

Those were similar words he said about her back on the Citadel. Her face transformed as she understood what he was implying, and he must've noticed it because he nodded his head even before she spoke. "He's a Spectre candidate too."

"Correct, Shepard."

Moira tapped her fingers against her arm in thought. "You still haven't told me how you know he'll help us to begin with."

"Indeed, I haven't."

Her head turned to the side a bit so that one ear was closer to him. It was a very human-like gesture that she hoped he recognised as her waiting for an answer.

"Let's just say he owes me."

That caught her attention. "Owes you?" Nihlus's mandibles twitched, she was certain that was a smile, but it was hard to read their faces when they looked like some sort of dinosaur.

"Yes." But no elaboration came. It didn't seem like he was going to say more either. Exhaling softly, Moira didn't push further and instead redirected the conversation to their mission again.

"How do we find him? Omega is a big place."

"Easy. He's pissed off every merc group. Surprisingly, they have called a truce in order to hunt him down so they can continue their business undisturbed." Pushing up from the wall he moved to the console in the middle of the room. An orange holoprojection of Omega appeared suspended in the air. "Here," an orange dot blipped on Omega.

Moira moved closer as Nihlus pointed to the spot. "This is his last known location. It is a few hours old, so we are unsure if he's moved."

"Is there any importance to that spot?"

"He's using this bridge to keep them at bay, it's a smart move. Getting across to him will be tricky. We don't want to fight every merc on Omega if we can help it."

"So, what do you suggest?"

"There are tunnels that connect to this location. I will sneak in from the back and clear it, so we have a route to escape." The view changed to show the network of tunnels that ran under Archangel's location.

"You will find a way to breach the front and cross the bridge. Intel has reported that they are signing anyone up with a gun to try and take him out. Use that as your in." As he spoke the view changed and displayed the bridge she'd have to cross.

Her nose wrinkled. She was liking her odds less and less. If it wasn't for the fact that she'd survived worse than this she might've told Nihlus to fuck himself. But, compared to a Threshermaw, this would be a walk in the park.

"I'll figure it out."

"Of course you will." The display shut off and Nihlus looked at her again. "We will be arriving at Omega in a few hours. Rest up until we arrive."


End file.
